Improvement in looms



UNrTED STATES VPATENT @inercia JEREMIAH A. MARDEN, OF NEWBURYPORT,MltSSl'Cl'lllSErlTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOOWIS.

i Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,397, dated October1, 1861.

To all wiz/0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH A. MARDEN, of Newburyport, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invent-ed certain new and usefulImprovements in Let-Off Motions for Looms; and I do hereby declare thatthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specificationof the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of mysaid improvements, by which my invention lnaybe distinguished from allothers of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim anddesire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plate of drawings represent myimprovements.

Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a loom with my improvements appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig.` 3 is a centrallongitudinal vertical section of the same.

It is well known by those versed in the art of weaving cloth that as thecircumference or periphery of the warp-beam decreases from the unwindingof the warp the tension on the warp increases in the same ratio. Toprovide for and to remedy this increase of the tension it is necessarythat some arrangement of mechanical devices should be contrived thatwill balance this increase of tension by the letting out of more of thewarp-yarn, thereby rendering the tension uniform.

Many devices have-been invented for accomplishing the desired result inweavingviz., the uniform tension of the warp or yarn; but the greatobjection to them all is the complication of their parts, the greatexpense of their manufacture, and the difficulty of applying them to theordinary loom machinery, so that they have p roved practicallyunsuccessful. i The present invention consists in a new and improvedlet-off motion for looms, comprising in itself the combined qualities ofsimplicity, inexpensiveness, efficiency of action, and easy applicationto the ordinary looms.

a a in the drawings represent the supporting frame-work of a loom. v

b b is the warp, (shown by red lines,) wound upon a warp beam or rollerc.

CZ d is the filling, (shown by blue lines,) wound upon the roller e. Thewarp b b passes upward over a guide-roller f, thence through an ordinaryreed or raddle placed in the lathe g, after which the weft or woof isentwined with the same by the ordinary mechanism in looms. The iillingcl cl at the same time with the warp passes upward and between twoguiding and nipping` rollers h h, and thence through the reed, the sameoperation then taking place in conjunction with the warp, as has beenabove referred to. rl`he whole-warp, weft, and filling-being then in theform of cloth, is then wound upon the cloth beam or roller t, having aratchet-wheel j upon one end, with which engages the pawl le, preventingthe unwinding of the cloth.

The two rollers 7L 7L, between which the tilling passes, are so arrangedwith regard to each other that the filling will receive a little bindingor nipping, which, together with the tension acting upon the illingpassing through .the reed, will serve to stretch or lengthen out thevfibers or filaments of the same. In this description the filling issupposed to b e composed of elastic or rubber filaments or threads, fromwhich it will be readily inferred that the goods wove will belong tothat class of goods called shirred The filling, however, can consist ofany desired material other than rubber.

Z is a pulley upon the horizontal shaft m, on the other end of which isa gear-wheel n, interlocking with another gear-wheel o, placed on thehorizontal shaft p, onthe other end of which shaft is a bevel-gear q,engaging with a similar gear r, placed on the lower end of the inclinedvertical shaft s. On the 'upper end of the shaft s is another bevel-geart, engaging with a similar gear u, placed on the shaft of the lowerroller h. By communicating motion to the pulley Z by means of a belt orband it will7 by means of the arrangement of gears described,communicate a rotary motion to the lower roller lt h, thereby feedingthe filling between the same.

On the lower shaft p is a cam c, upon which bears a pawl w, engagingwith a ratchet-` wheel a, placed on a shaft y, having suitable bearingsin the frame-work a a, upon the other end of which is an endless screwz, engaging with a gear-wheel a', placed on the shaft of the warp-rollerc, which will consequently receive an intermittent rotary motion.. y

The guide-roller f has suitable bearings in sliding boxes g g', both ofwhich boxes rest upon springs d d', and one of which also rests' uponthe top end of the bent rod b', turning upon afulcrum at c. This bentrod b passes down from the box g under the pawl w between the cam c andratchet-wheel the pawl w when in vrepose resting upon the same, so thatany change of position of the rod h Will affect it, (the pawl.) The pawltu, being actuated by the revolution of the cam e, upon which ittravels, revolves the ratchetwheel and by means of the connectingarrangement of devices above described the warp-beam, thereby lettingoff the yarn always at a uniform rate so long as the tension of thesaine is uniform, as desired; but when the tension of the warp or yarnis increased, as it Will be in consequence 0f the diminution of theperiphery of the yarn or Warp beam, it is necessary that somearrangement of devices should be provided to let off more yarn from thebeam in order to balance this increase of tension.

The above-described arrangement of devices, consisting of theguide-rollerf, bent rod b', pawl w, cam o, and ratchet wheel Will bytheir united operation effect this desired result, for, as the tensionupon the warp is increased, however slight may be the increase above thedesired tension, it will draw down the guide-roller f, and as one of itsjournals or sliding boxes g rests upon the top end of the bent rod b itwill also force down the rod b. Upon this rod b rests, as has beenstated, the pawl w when in repose, and as the rod b is lowered the pawlw will also, by its own Weight, follow the same, the rod h at all timesWhen the pawl is not actuated by the cam serving the purpose of a resti" or the saine andy as a limit to the fall lof the pawl. By thusarranging the pawl w with respect to the bent rod b it is evident thatany increase of tension upon the yarn will so operate upon the rod b asto lower its position, and as the rod b is the limit of the fall of thepawl over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel it will regulate the numberover which the pawl is to fall, and according as the number is greateror less the ratchet-wheel m will be revolved by the pawl a greater orless distance, and consequently more or less yarn will be delivered fromthe Warp-beam to correspond to and overcome the variation of thetension. The

the fulcrum c.

springs CZ d', placed under the boxes g g', i serve to replace theroller f upon the desired tension being imparted to the yarn. The rod bis retracted by the spring h', coiled upon The spring f', coiled uponthe shaft y, is connected or attached to the under side of thepawl wand, acting in conjunction with the vertical spiral spring e', to whichone end of it (the spring f) is attached. serves to keep the pawlbearing upon the cam and ratchet-Wheel.

It will be evident that there are a variety of modes of impart-ingmotion to the pawl or to the ratchet-wheel otherwise than by the cam e,such as the following, for instance: The pawl could be connected withthe lathe of the reed in such a manner that the lathe by its forward andbackward movement would conlmunicate the necessary motion to the pawland by that transmitted to the ratchet-Wheel.

The above-described arrangement, it Will be seen, renders the loomentirely self-regulating and very sensitive in regardv to the essentialmatter of keeping up a perfectly-uniform tension on the yarns, as theslightest variation in the movement of the guide-roller f will beinstantly conveyed to the Warp-beam. This arrangement, moreover, rendersit impossible for the operative to tamper with the loom with a view toaltering the tension so ras to increase the rapidity of weaving, therebyinjuring the goods by loosening the texture of the weaving, as isfrequently ldone where the Work is paid for by the number of yards made.

Having thus described my improvements, I shall state my claims asfollows:

l. The use of a roller having yielding` or elastic supports for carryingthe Warp over it to the reeds, in combination with guiding or nippingrollers, operating substantially as described, for the conveyance to thereeds of the filling, whether the same be ofan elastic nature or not,the Whole being arranged' in relation to the driving mechanismessentially as shown and set forth.

2. The peculiar construction and'arrangement of the mechanism forautomatically regulating the tension to the threads and yarns in a loom,the same consisting of the several devices specified, so arranged andcombined as to operate in unisonin the manner and for the purposes setforth.

JEREMIAH A. MARDEN. Witnesses: Y

JOSEPH Gavnr'r, A. W. BROWN.

` l *it Y M Y, f I

